Google Nixing Tying a Plus Profile Across Services & Channels

Finally. Google is listening. When the search giant forced us to connect a Google+ profile to a YouTube channel, things got difficult. In fact, one client’s YouTube channel is still tied to an employee’s Google+ account instead of the rightful owner, despite several attempts to disconnect it from the improper account.

While Google’s move to tie everything together was a good concept for individuals, forcing business owners to connect it all to personal profiles caused plenty of hiccups. I’m still having difficulty managing certain features because I had to disconnect my main email address from my personal profile when I moved over to Google Apps for business for work-related reasons. In other words, many business people who use Google+ and Google services have more than one account, or they have a single account that’s so disorganized it’s counterproductive.

Google announced this week it will disconnect Google+ from YouTube, which means your channel can once again be managed properly, and people won’t need a Google+ profile to share or comment on videos. More services are to follow.

…in the coming months, a Google Account will be all you’ll need to share content, communicate with contacts, create a YouTube channel and more, all across Google… As always, your underlying Google Account won’t be searchable or followable, unlike public Google+ profiles.

– Bradley Horowitz, VP of Streams, Photos, and Sharing

If you’ve been struggling managing Google features because of a connected Google+ profile, don’t take any action yet. Wait for official instructions from Google after the change is made. For now, killing out a Google+ profile will still erase the YouTube channel and other services tied to the account.